Yarn clearer



Oct. 14, 1969 H. A. VANDERSIP YARN CLEARER Filed Sept. 12, 1967 m x ENTOR. 5 HENRY gv DERSlP [3 3% FIG.4

ATTORNEYS United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE msqLosURE Apparatus for detecting and preventing the winding of multiple strands of yarn onto a take-up package. As yarn is moved toward a position to be cut by a cutting mechanism, one strand is held away from [the cutting mechanism but any additional strands are free to advance toward the cutting position and actuate a device which operates to release the strand being held so that all strands are then free to move toward the cutting position.

The present invention relates gene rally to yarn winding apparatus and more specifically relates to a yarn clearer effective to prevent the winding of multiple strands of yarn onto a take-up package.

In the following specification, the term yarn is employed in a general sense to denote all kinds of strand material, either textile or otherwise, and the designation package denotes the product of a winding machine, whatever its form.

Occurrences of multiple strands being wound onto yarn packages are undesirable and can be very costly. For example, consider the situation in which yarn from a package wound with a considerab e length of multiple strands is employed as warp thread on a loom. When the multiple strands are woven intd the fabric, a length of the fabric equal to the length ofi the yarn having the multiple ends may be ruined or its value adversely affected.

Since multiple strands usually odour in the course of winding, and especially during a knot-tying sequence for joining an end of supply yarn to an end of yarn from a take-up package after the supply .am has been interrupted, a preferred expedient is to provide winding machines with suitable yarn clearers for preventing the winding of multiple strands onto the take-up package. The present invention is such a device and can be readily adapted to existing winding machines, one example being an automatic winding machine disclosed in the commonly assigned U.S. Patent No. 2,764,362 to W. V. Goodhue et a1. As disclosed in the hited patent, when an interruption in the yarn is detected, a free end of yarn from a supply package is retrieved {and joined to a free end from a take-up package to reinstate the winding operation. Mounted to the Winding machine adjacent a knotting assembly, the yarn clearer presented in this disclosure is positioned to intercept the supply yarn during each knotting attempt. Entirely mechanical in operation, the improved yarn clearer is inexpensive to manufacture and operate, and can be readily maintained.

Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a new and improved yarn clearer.

Another object of the invention jis the provision of a new and improved yarn clearer for detecting and preventing the winding of multiple sttands of yarn onto a take-up package.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved yarn clearer arranged to freely pass a single strand of yarn but operable to eliminate multiple strands of yarn.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved yarn clearer which is operable to hold a single strand of yarn away from a cutting mechanism while any additional strands are free to move to a position to be cut by the cutting mechanism and serve to actuate a device which operates to release the single strand being held so that all strands are then free to move to the cutting position. A related object is the provision of a yarn clearer which is adjustable for different diameters of yarn.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be obvious or will be set forth in the description which follows taken together with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a winding machine embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the yarn clearer;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of parts illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a section view taken substantially along line 55 in FIG. 4.

Refer now to the drawings and initially to FIG. 1 which illustrates a part of a winding machine which may be of the type disclosed in the above-cited patent, No. 2,764,362. A take-up package P is rotated by means of a drive roll 10 positioned in surface-to-surface engagement with the take-up package. Continuous helical grooves 12 may be formed in the surface of the drive roll 10 for guiding a strand of yarn to and fro across the surface of the take-up package P.

In the event of an interruption in the yarn, a yarn retrieving arm 14, rotatably mounted in a bearing 16, is swung downwardly, in the clockwise direction (FIG. 1), to seize a free end of yarn from a supply package (not shown) and thereupon reverses its movement to swing upwardly, in a counterclockwise direction (FIG. 1), to carry the free end to a knotter assembly 18. At the same time, a suitable mechanism (not shown) is operated to carry a free end of yarn from the take-up package P to the knotter assembly 18 in the course of a yarn joining operation.

As the yarn retrieving arm 14 swings upwardly, the supply yarn is carried upwardly and leftwardly (FIG. 1). During its advance, the yarn first engages the rear portions (FIG. 2) of a bail 20 by which it is then guided into engagement with a yarn clearer 22. The yarn clearer 22 includes a base plate 24 suitably fixed to a housing 26 of the knotter assembly 18 and provided with a substantially arcuate yarn guiding surface 28. The continued swinging movement of the yarn retrieving arm 14 draws the supply yarn in a substantially lateral or leftward (FIGS. 2 and 3) direction along the surface 28 toward the jaws of a cutting mechanism 30.

If the supply yarn being carried upwardly and laterally to the left by the yarn retrieving arm 14 is comprised only of a single strand, that strand engages a free end of a post 32 which projects outwardly from the surface 28 and is thus prevented from entering the jaws of the cutting mechanism 30. A bore 34 (FIG. 5) extends the width of the base plate 24 and is threaded so as to threadedly receive the post 32. An opposite end of the post 32 projects beyond a rear surface of the base plate 24 and has fixed thereon a dial 36 which may be provided with suitable markings 38. Rotation of the dial 36, and therefore of the post 32, serves to advance or retract the free end of the post 32 relative to the surface 28. The markings 38 are so calibrated that they measure or indicate the distance by which the free end of the post 32 projects beyond the surface 28, a distance which is adjusted to correspond generally with the diameter of a single strand of the yarn being wound. If the supply yarn is comprised of only a single strand, therefore, the yarn retrieving arm merely draws the strand across the post 32, carrying it to the knotter assembly 18 for joining with the free end from the take-up package P. After the joining operation is completed, and winding commences, the yarn is carried rightwardly along the surface 28 by the yarn guiding groove 12 and is discharged from the right hand end of the base plate 24 prior to achieving a normal winding path which lies in a plane behind the base plate (FIG. 2)

However, it may happen that the supply yarn is comprised of one or more additional strands. Such a condition can occur during the end finding operation in the course of which the yarn retrieving arm 14 swings downwardly to seize a strand of yarn from the supply package but instead seizes two or more strands. In this event, one strand is engaged by the post 32 and held from entering the jaws of the cutting mechanism 30, but additional strands are not so held and continue to advance toward the left (FIGS. 1, 2, and 3), whereupon they engage a swing link 40 and cause it to rotate in a clockwise direction (FIG. 2) about a pivot pin 42 fixed to the base plate 24 until it assumes the dotted-line position (FIG. 2). Adjacent its rear end, the swing link 40 is pivotally connected, as by a rivet 44, to a push link 46 which has a yarn engaging edge 48 lying adjacent the one strand of yarn held by the post 32. As the swing link 40 swings about the pivot pin 42 in the clockwise direction (FIG. 2), a staple 50 slidably receives the push link 46 so that the push link 46 is guided for movement in a direction transverse of the surface 28 to push the engaged strand off the post 32, allowing the strand to move leftwardly into the jaws of the cutting mechanism 30.

In a sequence which is timed in relation to the movement of the yarn retrieving arm 14, a rack 52, formed with a longitudinally extending slot 54, is raised by a suitable control mechanism (not shown) and guided by a pin 56 fixed to the housing 26 of the knotter mechanism 18 and engageably received by the slot. A pinion 58 is rotatably mounted on the housing 26 and engages the rack 52. As the rack 52 is raised, the pinion 58 is rotated in the clockwise direction thereby drawing a connecting link 60 to the left and with it an actuating lever 62 integral with a movable blade 64 of the cutting mechanism 30. The connecting link 60 is suitably connected at its respective ends to the pinion 58 and to the actuating lever 62. The blade 64 is pivotally mounted on the base plate 24 and as the rack 52 is raised, the blade 64 is movable between an open yarn receiving position (solid lines, FIG. 2) relative to a fixed blade 66 secured to the base plate 24 and a closed or yarn cutting position (solid lines, FIG. 3).

After the yarn has been cut by the cutting mechanism 30 and the undesirable portions removed in a suitable manner, or after the yarn has been successfully joined by the knotter assembly 18, the bail which is suitably fixed to the actuating lever 62 swings, with the movable blade 64, in the clockwise direction (FIG. 3) to assure that the yarn, in either instance, is removed from the vicinity of the yarn clearer 22. Also fixed to the actuating lever 62 is a hairspring 68 turned downwardly at its free end (FIG. 4) and normally spaced from the swing link 40 (FIG. 2). However, upon rotation of the actuating lever 62, the hairspring 68 engages the swing link 40 to rotate it in the counterclockwise direction (FIG. 3) and thereby return the swing link 40 and the push link 46 to their original positions (dotted lines, FIG. 3), thereby resetting the yarn clearer 22 for a succeeding operation. Thereupon, the rack 52 is returned to the reset position illustrated in FIG. 4 and with it the movable blade 64 and the bail 20.

Viewing especially FIG. 2 it is seen that the push link 46 is provided with a notch 70 to receive the pivot pin 42 during the reset condition, but as the swing link 40 is swung about the pivot pin 42, the push link 46 is moved sulficiently in a lateral direction to avoid the pivot pin when the link 46 moves longitudinally or transverse to the surface 28. Similarly, the swing link 40 is provided with a notch 72 so as to intimately receive the staple 50 when the swing link 40 and the push link 46 are in their reset positions. Therefore, by means of the notches 70, 72, the swing link 40 substantially overlies the push link 46 during the reset condition/In this manner, an additional strand of yarn is enabled to actuate the swing link 40 and, without substantial delay, advance the push link 46 to discharge from the post 32 the strand being held and causes all strands to be cut by the cutting mechanism 30 in the earlier described manner.

While a specific form of the invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the apended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A yarn clearer for preventing the winding of multiple strands onto a take-up package comprising yarn severing means, means for guiding yarn toward said severing means, interrupting means for engaging one strand of yarn, release means operable for releasing said one strand from said interrupting means, and actuating means engageable by an additional strand of yarn for operating said release means.

2. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 1 including a base and wherein said interrupting means includes a post on said base for engaging said first strand.

3. A yarn clearer as set forth forth in claim 1 wherein said interrupting means includes a base, a surface on said base for guiding yarn in a substantially lateral direction, an adjustable post mounted on said base and projecting beyond said surface, and means for adjusting said post relative to said surface.

4. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said interrupting means includes a base having a surface for guiding yarn in a substantially lateral direction and a bore communicating with said surface, an adjustable yarn engaging post within said bore and projecting beyond said surface, and means for adjusting said post relative to said surface.

5. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 4 including indicating means for measuring the length of said post projecting beyond said surface.

6. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 4 wherein said post is threadedly received within said bore and including a dial fixed to said post for rotating said post to longitudinally move said post relative to said surface, and markings on said dial for measuring the length of said post projecting beyond said surface.

7. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 2 wherein said release means includes a movable member, a yarn engaging edge on said member, and means mounting said member for movement between a withdrawn position in which said edge lies adjacent one strand and an advanced position engaging said one strand and effective to release said one strand from engagement on said post.

8. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 2 wherein said release means includes an elongated push link, a yarn engaging edge at one end of said push link, and means mounting said push link for movement between a withdrawn position in which said edge lies adjacent said one strand and an advanced position engaging said one strand and effective to release said one strand from engagement on said post.

9. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 8 wherein said means mounting said link includes a staple fixed to said base and slidably receiving said push link for guiding said push link between said first and second positions.

10. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 7 wherein said actuating means includes a swing link engageable by said additional strand, means mounting said swing link for movement between a first position for engagement by said additional strand and a second position disengaged from said additional strand, and means connecting said swing link to said push link.

11. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim including means for biasing said swing link toward said first position.

12. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said post is threadedly received within said bore and including a dial fixed to said post for rotating said post to longitudinally move said post relative to said surface, and markings on said dial for measuring the length of said post projecting beyond said surface.

13. A yarn clearer for eliminating multiple strands comprising a base, yarn severing means on said base for cutting multiple strands, means including a surface on said base for guiding yarn in a substantially lateral direction toward a position to be cut by said severing means, said base having a bore communicating with said surface, a post within said bore and projecting beyond said surface for engaging one strand of yarn and preventing said one strand from advancing into said severing means, an elongated push link, a yarn engaging edge at one end of said push link, means mounting said push link on said base for movement between a withdrawn position in which said edge lies adjacent said one strand and an advanced position engaging said one strand and effective to release said one strand from engagement on said post, a swing link engageable by said additional strand of yarn, means mounting said swing link for movement between a first position for engagement by said additional strand and a second position disengaged from said additional strand, and means connecting said swing link to said push link so that said push link is moved to said advanced position upon movement of said swing link 6 to said second position whereby said one and said additional strands are free to advance into position to be cut by said severing means.

14. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 13 wherein said post is longitudinally movable in said bore and including adjusting means for longitudinally moving said post relative to said surface.

15. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 14 wherein said post is threadedly received within said bore and including a dial fixed to said post for rotating said post to longitudinally move said post relative to said surface, and markings on said dial for measuring the length of said post projecting beyond said surface.

16. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 13 including means for biasing said swing link to said first position.

17. A yarn clearer as set forth in claim 13 wherein said severing means includes a first blade fixed on said base, a second blade movable relative to said first blade from an open yarn receiving position to a closed yarn severing position, and means mounting said second blade for movement between said open and said closed positions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1965 Furst 242l9 8/1965 Furst et al. 242-35.6

WILLIAM S. LAWSON, Primary Examiner 

